Arch-supporter.



J. G. SHEPARD. AARCH SUPPORTER. APPLIUATION :FILED JUNI: 3, 190s.

977,684. l Patented Dec.6,1910.

620252665565? fg/ w/ZQW /Qf/W @SM E 19M@ iM JOHN C. SHEPARD, OF NOPAY,MAINE.

ARCH-SUPPORTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 3, 1910.

l Application led June 3, 1908. vSerial No. 436,416.

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN C. SHEPARD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Norway, county of Oxford, State of Maine, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Arch-Supporters, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings.

My invention has for its object to provide a cheap and adequatestitfener for the instep of al shoe which may be readily applied to ashoe by the ordinary'shoemaker or cobbler, so that it may be sold for asmall price and be directly accessible to the wearers of shoes.

Heretofore various forms of arch supporters and shank stiffeners havebeen employed, some of these being intended to b'e fitted within theshoe, and some between the layers of the shank. These devices requireeither that the stiffener be especially constructed to fit the foot ofthe wearer or else that the shoe be originally constructed with astiifener. As is well known arch supporters which are made to fit thepeculiar form of the wearers foot are very expensive and on the otherhand shoes constructed with the stiffener in the shank of the shoerarely fit the foot well enough so that they may be used without causingthe wearer discomfort.

The device embodying my invention is adapted to be applied to any shoeand particularly to those which have assumed the shape of the wearersinstep through use; they may also be satisfactorily applied to newshoes. The device embodying my invention, by reason of its peculiarconstruction and arrangement, does not add perceptibly to the weight ofthe shoe, but nevertheless affords a complete support for the instep ofthe wearer throughout its entire area.

I am aware that stiifeners have been applied to the exterior of a shoe,but so far as is known to me, when so applied, they have not aorded asupport for more than a small portion of the instep, thereby resultingin failure to perform the oiiice required of them and in discomfort andinconvenience to the user.

My invent-ion has the added advantage that it may be readily applied tothe shoes by any cobbler and when applied to shoes which have previouslybeen worn serves to retain them in the shape which they have receivedfrom contact with the wearers foot.

The construction of my improved arch supporter is such that the weightis olistributed over the entire shank of the shoe, thereby making itpossible to afford more complete support, while at the same time thearch supporter is more durable and less likely to get out of shape withuse.

The invention will be fully understood from the following descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novelfeatures thereof are pointed out and clearly defined in the claim at theclose of the specification.

in the drawings-Figure l is a perspective view of a. shoe provided withan arch supporter embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a bottom viewthereof. Fig. 3 is a seet-ion on line 3 3 F ig. 2.

Referring to the drawings-My improved arch supporter consists of twoside portions B and A which follow substantially the` curve of theinside line of the shank of a shoe and the outside line thereofrespectively, and of atransverse portion C which lies across the portionof the shoe just back of the ball of the foot in such a position that itwill not ordinarily contact with the ground being slightly above thelevel of the ground by reason of the curve of the shoe. The rear ends ofthe side portions of the arclnsupporter extend rearwardly under the heelF as shown at D and E for a short distance so that the curve of theshank and the relation between the heel and the shank shall always bemaintained in the condition intended. l find this arrangement importantas otherwise the shoe tends to bend at the line of union between theheel and the shank. The arch supporter is attached to the shoe by nailsH or the like, and the said nails extend through the outsole, upper, andinsole and at the rear through the counter, if the counter extends farenough forward. The nails are securely clenched on the inside, By thisarrangement, all the parts are secured together much more firmly thanhas hitherto been possible and all possibility of working is entirelyprevented.

rilhe longitudinal portions of the arch supporter are constructed sothat in cross-section they are of the shape shown in Fig. 3; that is,the outer edge thereof is bent over the edge of the shank as shown at K.The rib or edge K keeps the arch supporter from bending and greatlyincreases the strength and stilness ot the arch supporter withoutincreasingy its weight.

I claim as my invention:

In combination with a boot or shoe, a three sided arch supportercomprising two side strip portions, a transverse strip portionconnecting the two forward ends of said strip portions7 said archsupporter being secured to the outer face of the outer sole, thetransverse portion lying' across the outer soie of the. shoe just backof the bail of the foot5 the twov side portions extendingrearwardiy onthe outer face or' the shank following the contour of the two side linesof the shank, the open rear ends thereof eX- l5 tending backward betweenthe heel and the outer sole near the outer edges thereof and concealedbetween the heel and the heel portion of the sole between which it issecured.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature, 20 in presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN C. SHEPRD.

Witnesses MERTON L. KIMBALL, ALFRED S'. KIMBALL.

